


Curry Night

by celeste9



Category: Primeval
Genre: Curry, Friendship, Gen, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-30
Updated: 2014-01-30
Packaged: 2018-01-10 15:14:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1161190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeste9/pseuds/celeste9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jess has been invited to her first curry night with the soldiers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Curry Night

**Author's Note:**

> For Primeval Denial bingo, 'curry night'. With thanks to fredbassett for prompting and loan of Lyle and Ditzy.

The smell of curry practically floated down the corridor. If Jess hadn’t known where she was going, she could have found her way simply by use of her nose.

And her ears, also, as she grew closer. God but they were a noisy bunch.

Not that Jess thought anything of it. It had been a rough day, even for the ARC. An anomaly at a school, during class hours. They were lucky it hadn’t been worse. If the men weren’t as good as they were, if Jess hadn’t been able to monitor the CCTV, leading them to where they needed to be, well…

It could have been a lot worse, that was all. 

Jess had never actually been down in the ARC sub-basement, to the level the soldiers claimed as their own. She’d seen it on the CCTV, of course, but watching it on a screen and being there in person were two entirely different things. 

It was nice. Lester had clearly stretched the budget to give them this. A large locker room, a fully-equipped gym where they could blow off steam or train, the shooting range where Jess suspected Becker actually lived, not to mention an expansive area with beds where they could kip for a few hours during the day or spend the night.

And the kitchen.

The kitchen, the soldiers’ own private, state-of-the-art kitchen, was so not necessary. Jess took it as proof that Lester loved them, really. 

“Jess!” Lyle shouted, bounding up to her as Jess stepped inside said kitchen. “Our guardian angel has arrived!”

“Oh, hush,” Jess said, but she was grinning. She had to admit that she had been touched by the offer to join the men for one of their infamous weekly curry nights. Sometimes Jess felt like such an outsider, being stuck inside the ARC while everyone else went out to risk their lives. She often felt young and silly and ridiculous, like no one actually took her seriously.

This meant more to her than any of them would ever know.

“Hey, you kept our arses out of the fire today, Jess,” Lyle said. “As usual.”

“Yes, no thanks to you, Lyle,” Becker called out. “You certainly don’t make her job any easier.”

“Oh, please,” Jess cut in, rolling her eyes. “As if you aren’t the worst of them! Always dashing in when you should be dashing out.”

Her words were met by a chorus of laughter. “She’s got a point there,” Ditzy said, clapping Becker on the back. “Lyle’s not my most frequent patient, you know. That would be you.”

Becker brushed Ditzy’s hand away. “I thought we were friends, Jess,” he said, giving her a little pout.

Jess grinned at him. “Friends aren’t afraid to tell friends the truth,” she said primly.

“You tell him,” Ditzy said, smiling at her. “Make my job easier, too.”

“And mine,” Ryan said from over by the stove. Apparently Ryan was in charge of the curry - or he was tonight, at least. He was wearing an apron that said, _Kiss the cook._ “All right, lads, curry’s done, get your bowls!”

Lyle was the first one over to the cabinets, stopping on his way to smack a wet kiss to Ryan’s cheek.

Ryan shoved him off. “Our friendship doesn’t stretch that far, mate,” he said.

Smirking, Lyle said, “It was you who asked, boss.”

As the men started lining up to get their portions, Ryan said, “Watch it, ladies first.” He pushed his way through the soldiers to offer Jess his arm.

“Thank you, kind sir,” Jess said, beaming and linking her arm through Ryan’s, letting him lead her to the food.

“Here you go.” Ryan ladled out a generous serving (possibly too generous, to be honest, but she _was_ starving) into a bowl and handed it to Jess. “I’m really glad you decided to join us, Jess.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it,” Jess said, standing in the midst of what had to be the loudest, most rambunctious group of men in the entirety of England. She imagined that they must make a sight, Jess in her bright dress with her matching heels, surrounded by all those hardened soldiers in their black uniforms.

She couldn’t think of anywhere she’d rather be.

**_End_ **


End file.
